Sweet Potato Salad

I simply love sweet potato salad! I remember how my grandma would cook boiled sweet potato or kamote. The sight of steaming hot kamote on the serving plate was so inviting! But kids nowadays wouldn’t even bother to eat kamote boiled or mashed with some milk on it ( Mothers, I hope where on the same planet/sphere!)

Easy, right? Tell me what you think about it. Here’s something for you to consider. I got this info from foodreference.com.

Sweet potato ranks number one in nutrition
According to nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the most important dietary change for most people, including children, would be to replace fatty foods with foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes.

CSPI has ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the largest of vegetables more than 100 points. Points were given for the content of dietary fibers, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. Points were deducted for fat (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the higher the nutritional value of foods.

The reasons for the sweet potato took the first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. The sweet potato has received a score of 184 and vegetables ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83.

The figures for sweet potato nutritional speak for themselves: nearly twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 per cent of the recommendation of vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta-carotene, and when eaten with skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!

Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel more satisfied. It is time for sweet potatoes to be on the “good” carb list.